"Climbing up to Crich in Search of Cardale" was the title given in the book to the walk we did today, and as usual we didn't really give it a thought until we were going round and as usual therefore had plenty of surprises as we went!
I went a bit mad with the pictures today having taken 88 during the 10 mile walk, so I've picked out the ones that I thought best reflected our day, but have many more, particularly of the memorial (more later) if anyone's interested.
We parked up in the train station car park of the small village of Ambergate, which whilst small is situated on a major road which the book promised we would be away from really quickly. It was right, as we turned up a small side street and found ourselves on the tow path of the Cromford canal. We actually did a walk a short while ago that followed the Cromford canal about 8 miles further along, pics of which can be found
here.
Today, we were near the other end of the old, very shallow and very overgrown canal, which was teaming with wildlife. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch a Water Vole swimming, but I got plenty of duck shots
As we continued along the tow path, the canal became a bit more tidy and uniform after a couple of miles, and despite a few ducks and birds, didn't pass another living being - it was great!
Eventually, we had to cross a bridge and leave the canal, so we had a quick water-stop to prepare ourselves for the steep climb the book was warning us about (it wasn't exaggerating either)!
Having crossed the bridge, we followed an old path that ascended pretty sharply through woodland. The view was lovely, but it was hard work! Eventually, we had a choice to make that the book didn't mention, the following pic could be captioned "What do you reckon then - left or light"? (We went left
)
Up and up and up we went (about 700ft according to the Garmin) until eventually we reached a style into fields. The following picture shows the woods behind the wall that we had just left.
Eventually, after a few fields and roads crossed, the church steeple of the village of Crich came into view, and an odd looking lighthouse type tower in the distance
This is just a nice pic from the 88 that I liked
So, we approached and eventually entered the village of Crich (with the "i" pronounced like in "eye").
I learned two things about Crich today. Apparently it was the setting for the fictional town of Cardale in the TV series
Peak Practice, which I have never watched
It must matter though, as they have even named their chip shop after it!
The other thing I learned was that the Black Swan does an extremely nice pint of bitter (not sure what it was, but it tasted great
).
Refreshed after our visit to the pub, we continued out of Crich across fields until we reached a road that lead past the entrance to
The National Tramway Museum which looked like it might be worth a visit one day, they look to have recreated a period village with trams and shops etc. Might be fun
Note the Tardis-style police box on the right of the above picture, and the "lighthouse" structure in the distance.... We followed the road around, past the museum until we were met with a sign.
The memorial was unfortunately closed, but as it lay on public access land, we were able to get up close and have a good look at it. When it's open, just 10p will let you climb to the top apparently, but the high winds today meant that wasn't possible
The memorial, with the large lighthouse tower as the centrepiece was a very beautiful place, and the views it afforded in every direction were amazing. Perhaps 20 miles in every direction? On this crowded island that's quite a rare thing, and I can't help feeling that there couldn't be a more fitting place for such a memorial. We must have spent 30 minutes there today - and I intend to go back when it's open. I think the pictures explain this place to you, especially the information board:
In addition to the memorial tower, there was also a beacon, which is believed to stand on the site of the beacon that was used to notify locals of the Spanish Armada attacking in 1588 (it's OK, we won
)
Behind the tower there was a fence preventing you from going any further, so I snapped a couple of pictures of the view, which was stunning.
Note the almost "sand dune" like hillocks in the above picture. You can see in the following picture, below the tower from a different angle. When I took the first photo, I had no idea that quarry was there
Past the quarry, and descending all the time now, we eventually had to cross the terminus of the tramway from the museum. I found this pretty surreal actually, but wanted to wait and see if a tram would come
SWMBO was feeling a bit under the weather though and said no. So as I agreed we should carry on, I looked around one last time and......
.... a tram arrived! The driver got out and walked around to the other end of it, and off it went again. How's that for timing?
We did a short detour from the prescribed route to get Fiona a drink and some chocolate for an energy boost (I had a pint of Black Sheep Ale
), before rejoining the route to cross fields and follow a forest path.
The path lead us past old quarries, before eventually rejoining the Cromford canal with about a 2.5 mile walk back to the car.
Then came the traditional post-walk steak, and inevitably, a good night's sleep, starting very soon.
Hope you enjoy the pics
Donations
Community Links
